First time drug paraphernalia citation in ARIZONA.

[glwallis]

Hey, so I received my first and last drug paraphernalia citation tonight/last night, Nov. 19th. I live in Arizona and am 19. I am not able to afford an attorney, so I have some questions...

1. Do I request a public defender the day of my arraignment?

2. Must I have a public defender to avoid jail time? (I have heard prop. 200 protects me from jail time if I qualify, which I dont know why I wouldnt be eligible for that since its my first offense.)

3. Also, I have heard not to plea guilty, not guilty or no contest.. What exactly am I supposed to request? A pre-trial of some sort? Im not entirely sure..

That's it for now. If anyone can tell me what to possibly expect let me know, I wanna be prepared when I have to appear at the court.

P.S. I was only cited for the pipes, I DID NOT have weed on me or the vehicle

 

[quincy]

Hey, so I received my first and last drug paraphernalia citation tonight/last night, Nov. 19th. I live in Arizona and am 19. I am not able to afford an attorney, so I have some questions...

1. Do I request a public defender the day of my arraignment?

2. Must I have a public defender to avoid jail time? (I have heard prop. 200 protects me from jail time if I qualify, which I dont know why I wouldnt be eligible for that since its my first offense.)

3. Also, I have heard not to plea guilty, not guilty or no contest.. What exactly am I supposed to request? A pre-trial of some sort? Im not entirely sure..

That's it for now. If anyone can tell me what to possibly expect let me know, I wanna be prepared when I have to appear at the court.

P.S. I was only cited for the pipes, I DID NOT have weed on me or the vehicle

On the day of arraignment, the charges against you will be read and you will be asked how you plead to the charges. It is generally recommended by attorneys that you plead "not guilty" at that time. A new hearing will be scheduled. This gives you time to consider any possible defenses to the charges or to see if the charges can be reduced or dismissed.

The judge will say you have the right to an attorney and you will want to request a public defender at that time (or, if the judge does not say this, request one after your plea). You will fill out forms at the court to see if you qualify for assistance.

It is advised, whenever criminal charges are filed against you, that you have an attorney with you in court. The attorney will know what is possible and what is not based on the facts of your arrest and the charges filed, and the attorney will work with the prosecutor to see that your best interests are represented. It is very hard to handle a criminal action on your own and hope for a result better than what an attorney can achieve.

When you appear in court, it is important for you to dress appropriately (nice clothes, no jeans, no tee-shirts, no baseball caps) and to smell appropriately (do not smell of smoke or heavy cologne or body odor). Do not take a cell phone or any other electronic device into the courtroom. Be polite and contrite and address the judge and all in the courtroom with respect.

Good luck.

 

[glwallis]

On the day of arraignment, the charges against you will be read and you will be asked how you plead to the charges. It is generally recommended by attorneys that you plead "not guilty" at that time. A new hearing will be scheduled. This gives you time to consider any possible defenses to the charges or to see if the charges can be reduced or dismissed.

The judge will say you have the right to an attorney and you will want to request a public defender at that time (or, if the judge does not say this, request one after your plea). You will fill out forms at the court to see if you qualify for assistance.

It is advised, whenever criminal charges are filed against you, that you have an attorney with you in court. The attorney will know what is possible and what is not based on the facts of your arrest and the charges filed, and the attorney will work with the prosecutor to see that your best interests are represented. It is very hard to handle a criminal action on your own and hope for a result better than what an attorney can achieve.

When you appear in court, it is important for you to dress appropriately (nice clothes, no jeans, no tee-shirts, no baseball caps) and to smell appropriately (do not smell of smoke or heavy cologne or body odor). Do not take a cell phone or any other electronic device into the courtroom. Be polite and contrite and address the judge and all in the courtroom with respect.

Good luck.

Thank you! Much appreciated.

 

[Silverplum]

Thank you! Much appreciated.

Ah...the refreshing words of politeness!!

Thank you for being polite: it's getting a bit rare.

 

[quincy]

Thank you for the thanks, glwallis.

Good luck at your hearings.

 

[glwallis]

It doesn't kill anyone to be kind haha. I was as honest as I could be with the officers which is why I think I only got a citation. I have court soon, so I hope to have an idea of what's going to happen to me before too long

 

[quincy]

It doesn't kill anyone to be kind haha. I was as honest as I could be with the officers which is why I think I only got a citation. I have court soon, so I hope to have an idea of what's going to happen to me before too long

If this is your first offense, you will probably wind up with probation (no jail). You just have to be careful not to do anything to violate the probation.

Good luck in court.